European researchers have identified a way to detect whether workers could suffer harmful effects from exposure to hand-arm vibrations before it's too late to minimise their harm, and made a recommendation for an occupational exposure linked to deadly asthma attacks.
Australia's WHS regulators will apply a common-sense educative approach to dealing with workplaces struggling to comply with their WHS duties because of COVID-19, providing they make "genuine attempts" to comply with them, a new national policy released by Safe Work Australia says. SWA has also released a raft of new pandemic resources, including a workplace checklist.
The coronavirus pandemic poses major health risks to frontline workers, but other less obvious serious safety issues will arise from pandemic-related job insecurity and prolonged teleworking, a leading Australian occupational and environmental physician has warned.
Managers in senior WHS roles and other statutory positions will be the only fly-in-fly-out workers permitted to enter Queensland under a new coronavirus control plan. Meanwhile, mining giants BHP and Fortescue have revealed their latest strategies for protecting personnel from the pandemic.
Resources companies have been urged to implement a string of extra precautions to protect fly-in-fly-out and drive-in-drive-out workers, in camps or "on the move", from COVID-19. Meanwhile, ACT employers have been directed to conduct coronavirus risk assessments and ensure their contractors comply with hygiene rules.
Delineating tasks and separating teams are some of the many strategies a Singaporean hospital is taking to protect frontline workers from coronavirus, shedding light on how to prevent the occupational transmission of the disease.
Workers testing positive for COVID-19 can breed a lot of fear and anxiety, both for the infected workers and their colleagues, and workplace leaders need to ensure their response is clear and strong, an organisational psychologist says.
Disposable and reusable respirators play a crucial role in protecting workers from hazardous substances, but the fit-testing process can actually expose them to viruses like COVID-19, meaning employers must implement special fit-testing measures for the pandemic, the UK Health and Safety Executive has warned.
